In October, we spoke with Emily Apodaca, aunt of the toddler that was found buried in playground sand in 2009. Apodaca’s sister, Tiffany Toribio, had confessed to smothering her son. The article questions whether the struggling mother sent distress signals to police and city services before the child’s death.

When Marjorie Childress wrote the report for the Alibi, Toribio was undergoing psychological evaluations. Her defender, Lelia Hood, was planning to pursue a “not guilty by reason of insanity” defense.

This morning, Toribio opted instead to plead guilty to suffocating her son at Alvarado Park. She will likely do 33 years.

Did city services miss calls for help from Tiffany Toribio and her family?

By Marjorie Childress

When the body of a young boy was found buried in a playground in May 2009, a shocked Albuquerque dubbed him “Baby Angel.” The search for his identity began. As the week wore on, it would gradually dawn on his aunt, Emily Apodaca, that the boy she was hearing about on the news was her own nephew, Tyrus Toribio.

Not Albuquerque. The boycott measure in our City Council failed on a 5-4 vote. Reporter Carolyn Carlson said the Council meeting Monday was intense. Hundreds showed up to speak out against Mayor Berry’s ICE agreement, and the Council also debated rescinding it. You can watch a full video of the meeting here.

Assistant Professor Michael L. Trujillo works in Chicano Studies and American Studies at UNM. He penned his take on the law banning classes that promote “racial resentment” from Arizona public schools.